Website centralizes 200-plus resources for entrepreneurs
The City of Dallas collaborated with over 200 business service organizations in Dallas County to launch a one-stop-shop website that can help entrepreneurs more easily find the specific resources they need.
Dubbed B.U.I.L.D, the Broaden Urban Investments to Leverage Dallas program is a first, Dallas County-wide small business ecosystem, the city said in an e-mailed statement to Infórmate DFW. With a strong focus on helping women and minority owners of small-to-medium businesses, the program leverages a website that centralizes the abundance of resources and initiatives across Dallas County.
“Minority- and women-owned small business deserve access to opportunity, and I am happy that we can work with more than 200 businesses to make that happen,” said City Manager T.C. Broadnax in the statement. “This ecosystem will be a valuable asset in our dedication and service to help create a better experience for our small business owners.”
The B.U.I.L.D website, http://www.dallasbuild.org, offers a user-friendly, reliable and updated centralized resource to help businesses in every stage of their journey, from idea phase to startup and growth and scale. The site offers reliable access to “technical training, business funding, gain capacity building guidance, mentorship and valuable resources,” the city added.
Braylon Lester, owner of 3DL Construction Management, indicated the website will be helpful in finding community development financial institutions, according to the statement.
“Small business owners need assistance navigating the business resources available to us,” Lester said in the emailed statement. “We need hard money, soft money and relationships with CDFI’s I have to allot to build, and I’m grateful for the help.”
The city said the ecosystem organizations are also working together to promote seamlessness and continuity of resources as businesses’ needs evolve and grow.
“This is the first time we have developed a collaborative effort for 200 business service organizations to help create a resource like this that will directly impact small businesses in Dallas,” said Zarin Gracey, director of the City of Dallas Office of Business Diversity, in the statement. “We have been working for over a year on this project and are so proud to see the launch of this website resource.”
The B.U.I.L.D. ecosystem was developed in partnership with various Dallas County organizations and spearheaded by workgroup leaders Michelle Williams of Redbird Dec, Benjamin Vann of Impact Ventures, Brian K. Marshal of BCL of Texas, and DeNita Lacking-Quinn of the City of Dallas Office of Business Diversity, according to the statement.
